The Young Ones
by Nemesis Revenge
Summary: Cas and Gabe are new to Lawrence and quickly find themselves caught up in the lives of the Winchesters and their friends. High School AU. Destiel
1. Chapter 1

Gabriel and Castiel sat outside the principal's office, waiting to meet with him on their first day. Gabriel was starting to get impatient, his leg jiggling and irritating his brother. The door finally opened, revealing an irritated teen, probably a senior like Gabriel, and the principal.

"You can wait out here and show our new students to their classrooms when we're done," the principal informed the young man, who dropped into a chair, grinning.

"Sure thing, Chuck," he replied, sprawling out like he owned the place.

"Dean," the principal warned, giving him a stern look. He didn't wait for a reply, ushering the brothers into his office to discuss their timetables and such. Castiel glanced back as the door was closed behind him, catching the wink Dean threw him, still grinning.

The meeting didn't take long, but Castiel decided quickly that he liked Mr. Shurley; he was friendly, and seemed to genuinely care about his school and students. That much was evident in the look of fond exasperation he shot Dean when they left the office to find him practically laying across the seats, apparently bored.

"Alright boys, get to class," Mr. Shurley instructed. "Dean, please try not to cause any more trouble today."

Dean just chuckled and led the brothers down the empty hallways, pointing out important places (cafeteria, nurse's office, gym), before pointing out the rooms that their classes were in. Gabe was the first to be dropped off, with a smug grin and a 'have fun'.

Dean left Castiel at his classroom next, before waltzing off in the opposite direction, humming 'Welcome to the Jungle' to himself.

Castiel had expected that to be the one and only time he interacted with Dean Winchester. He hadn't counted on Gabriel being determined to make friends with the first troublemaker he met. It should have been expected, but Castiel had been too preoccupied with nervous panicking that morning to give much thought to his brother's antics.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Wow I've been lazy. Here's chapter 2, sorry it took so long.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural**

Dean seemed distracted as he joined his friends at their lunch table, not responding to their greetings. Gabriel, Jo, and Charlie were clustered together at the end of the table gossiping and didn't notice the slight, but Castiel, Benny, and Ash could tell that there was something off about their friend.

Castiel grew particularly concerned when Dean started picking at his lunch rather than eating with his usual enthusiasm. He wanted to ask about it, but he wasn't sure how to do so without further upsetting Dean, or raising questions as to why he was paying such close attention to the Senior.

He decided to take his cues from Benny and Ash, Dean's two best friends, and both kept silent.

"Hey, Dean, is it this weekend or next that your dad's back in town?" Jo asked, typing something into her phone as she spoke, causing her to miss the way Dean tensed at her question. "My mom wants to know 'cause she was going through some of my dad's old stuff and found some stuff she wanted to ask him about."

She looked up from her phone for an answer, and her face fell at Dean's expression. Castiel had no idea how to label it except perhaps a strange mix of fury, heartbreak, and resignation.

"He can't make it," Dean ground out through grit teeth after a silence that stretched for a little too long. With that, he stood to his feet and stormed out of the lunch hall, leaving his bag and jacket behind.

Castiel stood too, casting a quick glance around the table to be sure that none of the others were going to stop him or tell him that it wasn't his place. Benny just smirked at him and gestured in the direction of the parking lot, where Dean was sure to be.

He found Dean leaning against his car, looking pained. His eyes were closed, and he made no indication that he was aware of Castiel's presence, but the dark haired teen was sure that he knew he was there.

"I don't think he's coming home," Dean said, finally opening his eyes. Castiel politely ignored the way his voice had caught a little when he spoke. Instead, he attempted to formulate an appropriate response. After all, what could he really say to that that would sound sincere? He didn't know anything about the situation.

Dean continued to talk without a response though.

"Last time he was home his drinking was getting worse," Dean said, voice shaking just enough to be noticed. "Before he left again Bobby told him to straighten out while he was gone or he wasn't welcome anymore, which is fair, since it's Bobby's house, but I don't know why he thought it'd work." He laughed humourlessly, leaning back against his car again. "So, I'm pretty sure he's not coming back, and I'm _pissed_ 'cause the least he could do is come out and say it."

Castiel reached out and placed his hand on Dean's shoulder, freezing when he realised what he had done. Had he overstepped his bounds? Dean wasn't the type to allow intrusions into his personal space. Of course, he really wasn't the type to speak about feelings or fears.

Dean just patted his hand gratefully, unaware of Castiel's internal freak out.

"Sammy doesn't know yet, and I know for sure Dad won't be the one to tell him, and it's gonna break the kid's heart." Castiel was suddenly very glad that Sam's class was on a field trip, because he knew that there was no way that the younger Winchester wouldn't stop until he knew what was wrong with his brother.

The air filled with a silence that Castiel didn't want to call uncomfortable, but it felt like Dean was waiting for something.

"You know, this is the part where the friend - that would be you, Cas - offers a hug, and then we both pretend it didn't happen," Dean informed him, smirking slightly.

Castiel floundered for a moment before realising something. "I didn't realise that you see us as friends," he confessed, blushing a little. "Most people just see me as Gabriel's younger brother."

Dean shrugged, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "Why can't you be both? So, friends?"

The idea of being Dean's friend was very attractive to Castiel; for starters, Dean never called him 'Cassie', unlike his older brothers. He was also very protective of his friends, and would do just about anything for them, from what Castiel could gather.

"Yes, friends," Castiel confirmed, smiling.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for another stupidly long wait. I'm lazy, I know. This chapter is set before Chapter 2. Cas is developing a crush and his family is not helpful.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Castiel tried his hardest to tune out Gabriel's whining, but he was finding it increasingly difficult, considering his brother had begun to throw fries at him for ignoring him.

"I'm serious, Cassie," Gabriel insisted when he finally had Castiel's attention again. "I'll die if I have to walk all the way home too! I don't see why Luci can't come pick us up; it's not like he's doing anything important!"

Castiel just hummed in response, knowing his brother would take it as agreement. He personally didn't see why Gabriel was being so dramatic. True, they had been a little late this morning, but at least Gabriel had gotten some form of exercise to work off all the candy he ate. Besides, it was Gabriel's fault in the first place, given that he refused to replace the old, battered, temperamental death-trap he called a car.

"You know, Gabe, instead of whining like a baby, you could ask me nicely for a ride," Dean suggested, stuffing more fries into his mouth. "I _do_ have a car, you know."

"You'd do that?" Gabriel's eyes lit up with hope. "Will you? Please? Please!"

Dean chuckled at his excitement and nodded. "Sure, I'm not working today, so just meet me by my car at the end of the day."

Dean had a very nice car, Castiel noted, staring at the sleek black muscle car the older boy owned.

"She's nice, right?" Dean smirked, patting the hood fondly when he noticed Castiel's half-awed expression. "She's my baby. A 1967 Chevy Impala," he informed the Novak brothers. "Used to be my dad's."

Gabriel looked curious, but Sam's arrival at the car started a whole new conversation. Well... argument, really.

"But I always sit in the front!" Sam protested, apparently wrestling with Gabriel for the passenger side door.

"Too bad, kiddo," Gabriel taunted, sticking his tongue out at the fourteen-year-old. "I'm older; I get shotgun by default."

Dean forcibly separated the two, shooting them both irritated looks.

"You can _both_ sit in the back," he said, pushing them away from the passenger side door. "Cas gets shotgun, 'cause he didn't whine."

Gabriel shot his brother a petulant look, until he noticed the faint blush dusting his cheeks. Castiel didn't know what to make of the look his brother gave him after that, but he was a little scared.

"This is us," Gabriel said, pointing out the Novak house. It was easily the biggest house in the neighbourhood, and Dean half-expected Gabriel to be joking.

"Your house is huge," Sam said, eyes wide as he took in the sight.

"Sammy!" Dean chided, eyes flicking back to his brother.

"Nah, it's cool," Gabriel assured him, grinning as they pulled up. "There's a lot of us, and Mom makes a small fortune selling art, which amounts to a huge house."

"Huh," was Dean's eloquent response. "How many is 'a lot'?"

"Well, there's me and Cassie here," Gabriel said, counting off people on his fingers. "Then there's Mikey, Luci, and Balthazar. Our parents too, and whatever varying family members happen to be staying with us at the time. Cousins of ours are always ending up here for one reason or another."

"It must be cool always having so many people around," Sam said, sounding wistful. Castiel had to silently disagree with the boy though; having so many people in the house meant that there was always some ruckus or another to deal with, and he often felt crowded.

"Yeah, it's great," Gabriel said, still grinning. "You guys wanna come in?"

Sam immediately turned his puppy eyes on his older brother, who sighed and shut off the engine.

"Sure, why not?" He answered.

"Awesome! You should stay for dinner; Luci's cooking," Gabriel insisted, hopping out of the car.

Dean chuckled as he followed the short, hyperactive teen. "Guess I'm calling Uncle Bobby to let him know he'll be fending for himself," he said, sharing a smirk with his brother. "The old bastard can't cook worth shit," he explained to Castiel, who - much like the Winchesters - kept to a more reasonable pace than Gabriel. "Which means, he's gonna go to the Roadhouse and whine to Ellen 'til she feeds him, and then he's gonna stick around 'til Sheriff Mills gets off shift and drops by for coffee and gossip with Ellen."

Sam snickered at that. "Uncle Bobby's got the biggest crush ever on Sheriff Mills," he said, grinning at his brother.

Castiel listened to their light hearted banter about their uncle and smiled. It sounded as though they were much closer with their uncle than he was with his. Zachariah seemed to disapprove of Castiel and all of his siblings, bar Michael.

They made their way inside, and Gabriel impatiently beckoned the Winchesters into the kitchen. Two men sat at the island, the one with dark hair looking over a pile of important looking papers while the blonde sat with a beer, apparently holding a conversation with the man at the stove.

"Dean, Sam, allow me to introduce our older brothers," Gabriel began, voice full of dramatic self-importance. "The workaholic is our oldest brother, Michael," the dark haired one gave them a short nod of acknowledgement. "Martha Stewart over there is the appropriately-named Lucifer," he got a glare for that.

"And I am Balthazar," the blonde at the island announced, smirking a little. "Thankfully, I'm not related to this bunch of whackjobs." He had an English accent, which Dean found almost amusing in how out of place it seemed.

"So these are the infamous Winchesters, hm?" Lucifer inquired, barely looking up from whatever it was he was cooking.

Balthazar studied the four teens very closely, smirking properly now. Castiel groaned internally, sure that the blonde was going to embarrass him somehow, and in front of Dean too. Dean, who he was sure already thought he was as lame as it gets.

"Why don't you boys go watch TV or something?" Balthazar suggested, shooting a quick glance to Lucifer. "Gabe, stop being rude and get your guests something to drink."

Castiel quickly ushered the Winchesters back out of the kitchen before Balthazar could say anything else.

"I'm sorry about that," Castiel said, leading the brothers to the living room. "My brothers are... intense, I suppose. Balthazar is no better, and he and Lucifer simply act as enablers for each other."

"So, what's the deal with Balthazar?" Dean asked, wincing when he realised how rude he seemed.

"Oh, he and Lucifer have been best friends since they were in their teens," Castiel explained. "He moved in one day and never really moved back out."

Gabriel laughed from the doorway, holding bottles of soda for everyone. "His parents kicked him out when he was sixteen because of his 'sinful lifestyle'." They could all hear the air quotes around the words as Gabriel began handing out bottles. "Basically, he was in high school and learning all about the joys of alcohol, parties, and sexuality. The last straw was when he got caught sucking face with a senior boy."

Dean nodded in understanding. For as little as he knew the man, he could see him as the type to not care much about gender, only if a person was attractive to him.

"Dad took him to pick up his stuff from his parents' house, then gave him the safe-sex talk," Gabriel chuckled, dropping onto the end of the couch.

There was a comfortable silence as Gabriel began flicking through channels to find something to watch, only for Castiel and Sam to break it with twin groans of annoyance as he settled on Dr Sexy MD.

"Shut up, this show is awesome," Dean commanded, flicking his brother's ear. "Do you guys have a ride for tomorrow, or do you want me to pick you up?" he asked, turning to the Novak brothers.

Castiel opened his mouth to reply, and thank Dean for the offer, but Gabriel shook his head.

"Michael said he'd take us, and Luci's gonna pick us up after school," he said, attention still half on the TV screen. "Lucifer dropped my car off at the garage earlier today, so I'll have my car back soon anyway."

"Which garage?" Sam asked, only barely interested.

"Singer's Auto Repairs," Gabriel replied, taking a swig of his soda. "Apparently they're the best in town."

Dean chuckled. "Well, I don't like to brag, but that's true."

Castiel glanced over at him. He hadn't know that Dean worked in a garage.

"It's our Uncle Bobby's shop; me and Benny both work there," Dean explained. Castiel could easily picture Dean in a mechanic's overalls, covered in grease and engine oil. He quickly decided to never allow himself to picture it again. He didn't need to embarrass himself any more than he already would.

Gabriel gave his brother a strange look, but Castiel ignored him. Whatever it was, Gabriel would surely say something later, after the Winchesters left.

"Did you do the work on your own car?" Gabriel asked Dean, curious now about his friend's talents.

"Yeah, most of it anyway," Dean said, scratching the back of his neck. "If you like, I can take care of your car. Bobby'll be grateful for less work."

With that, he and Gabriel were off into a discussion about cars and engines and a whole realm of things Castiel couldn't hope to understand. Sam simply shot the other teen a sympathetic look.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews, favourites, and follows. For making me smile so much, you get a super fast update. This chapter follows on pretty much directly from the last, and we get to see just how meddlesome older siblings can be. Also, we get to see what Dean's been thinking.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Castiel heaved a deep sigh as he turned to face his brothers and Balthazar. The Winchesters had only just driven off, but he supposed that he should be grateful that nobody had said anything while they, specifically Dean, were still there.

"Cassie's got a cru-ush!" Gabriel sung, grinning like a maniac. Castiel could only blush in response, knowing that there was nothing he could say to dispute the claim. "Tell me, are you planning a spring wedding, or do you think he'd prefer to elope?"

That hurt a little, but Castiel tried to ignore it. Gabriel was often unaware of when he was crossing lines.

"Gabe!" Lucifer snapped, scowling at his brother. "There's no need to be a dick about it."

Balthazar shot Castiel a sympathetic look. They all knew that none of Castiel's previous crushes had worked out in his favour.

"Cassie, I don't want to tell you not to go for it, because you deserve to be happy," Michael said, placing a hand on Castiel's shoulder. "But I do want you to be careful. I don't want to see you get your heart broken again."

Castiel winced at that. He didn't need the reminder of his many past failures. He was awkward, and too intense, and too strange, and he'd only ever managed to scare off every person he'd ever had a crush on.

"To hell with 'careful'!" Balthazar declared, shooing Michael away from the youngest of them so that he could take the teen by the shoulders. "We're going to help you leave Dean Winchester speechless."

Michael rolled his eyes as Balthazar, Gabriel, and Lucifer began devising a plan to help Castiel. He shared a look with his youngest brother, smirking as they both snuck off to the living room, leaving the other three to their ridiculous plotting. They'd get tired eventually.

Immediately after arriving home and shooing Sam off to do his homework, Dean retreated to his room and pulled out his cell phone, calling the one person he knew who wouldn't laugh at him for his predicament.

He didn't even wait for Benny to greet him before launching straight into the heart of his problem.

"He's goddamn _adorable_, Benny!" He groaned, falling backward onto his bed. "What am I supposed to do? It shouldn't even be legal for someone to be so cute and so sexy at the same time! He should only get to be one or the other. It's not fair!"

Benny sighed on the other side of the line, patiently waiting for the end of Dean's rant before speaking.

_"So tell him that,"_ he said, trying his very hardest not to call his friend and idiot. _"It's real simple, Dean."_

Dean groaned again, wishing it really was as simple as his friend seemed to think.

"What if he's not attracted to me? What if he's not attracted to _guys_?" Benny had never heard such panic in his friend's voice over something like this before. Of course, Dean had never seriously considered dating a guy before.

_"Dean, the only way to know for sure is to talk to him,"_ Benny reminded him. _"But, if you want to keep on ignoring the whole thing and panicking over whether or not he thinks you're attractive, you go right on ahead and do that."_

The worst part of it was that Dean was pretty sure that he was going to do exactly that.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Again with the laziness, I know. Feel free to yell at me whenever you think I'm taking too long. I'm not totally happy with this chapter, but I've procrastinated enough.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine**

Gabriel had suggested a movie night/sleepover to the group. Castiel was near convinced that his brother was trying his very best to humiliate him. He no doubt had a 'plan' for his little brother's not so little crush.

Cas could only pray that the night went quickly when everyone agreed to Gabriel's idea. He didn't want to spend all of Friday night hiding blushes and tripping over words every time Dean smiled. It was hard enough sitting with him at lunch, and hanging out for an hour or two after school sometimes.

Unfortunately, the universe appeared to be conspiring against him.

Dean had smuggled a bottle of whiskey out of his uncle's liquor cabinet, although by Sam's telling of it, all it amounted to was taking the bottle and saying "we're going now". Ash and Jo had brought beer, and seemed to have had a harder time getting it past their mother.

Lucifer had pestered and bullied Michael into going out for the night, while Balthazar had stocked the fridge with all the snacks and drinks he thought the group might need for the night, which included more alcohol. Then their remaining adult supervision had retired upstairs for the night with instructions to avoid dying or doing anything that would cause permanent damage.

Dean was quick to lay down the law on one particular matter.

"Kevin, Sam, neither of you are allowed alcohol tonight," he said, turning on the two youngest boys. "I'm responsible for both of you, and I don't want to have to explain to your mom that I let you get alcohol poisoning," he explained to Kevin.

Ash turned to Jo, clearly intending to extend the same rule to her, but the blonde cut him off before he could speak.

"I'm older than both of them, and do you want Mom to know who keeps taking her beer?" She smirked when her brother looked away.

After that, things were going alright for a while. They had decided to watch Quentin Tarantino movies, and they had eaten enough sugary snacks to rot their teeth, and the older ones were all pleasantly buzzed. Cas could deal with that, even if his face felt like it was on fire every time Dean shot him a smile.

That was when Gabriel decided to ruin everything, like only he was truly capable of.

"Let's play a game," he said, sitting up too quickly and nearly toppling off the armchair he had taken up residence on for the night.

Sam just shoved a flailing leg away from his face, rolling his eyes.

"What game are you thinking?" Benny asked, looking vaguely interested. "'Cause Dean won't play Spin The Bottle anymore."

Dean groaned from his spot on the couch, taking another swig of beer. "Shut up. You liked it as much as I did."

Gabe's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I get the feeling I'm missing something major that amounts to a great story," he said, leaning over the arm of the chair, one arm dangling in Sam's face.

Dean sighed and rolled his eyes, as though it greatly annoyed him to have to explain, but Cas could see him shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"Last time we got pulled into a game of Spin The Bottle, my turn landed on Benny, and that's how I figured out that I'm not just into girls."

Nobody else seemed shocked by the revelation, so Cas could only assume that they had either been present, or had heard about it later, but Cas could honestly say that he hadn't expected it. He had thought that Dean would be straight, and therefore unattainable. Now that he knew, hope flared up in him without his permission. He knew that he still didn't have much of a chance, but now there was a traitorous part of his mind whispering 'he likes boys too'.

"Well, in light of Dean's aversion to Spin The Bottle, I propose we play Never Have I Ever," Gabe announced, snatching up another pack of skittles.

Kevin glanced up from his conversation with Jo, a panicked look on his face.

"Don't worry, kiddo, we won't judge you," Gabe assured the boy, grinning.

And that was how everyone in the room ended up embarrassed and drunk - barring, of course, Kevin and Sam, who only managed to get tipsy after sneaking drinks from Gabe. They all learned a lot about each other that night.

"Never have I ever cheated on a test," Jo said, raising her drink to her lips. She was joined by Dean, Benny, and Gabriel. Charlie shook her head, tutting loudly.

"Never have I ever been kissed," Kevin said, frowning at his own drink as he kept it in front of him. Cas was the only other one not drinking to that statement.

"You've been kissed Sammykins?" Gabe giggled. "You're too young for such behaviour."

"Ruby kissed me at Ava's birthday party," Sam confessed, cheeks a bright red as he avoided all eye contact.

"Ruby?" Dean spluttered. "Ruby as in the demon who may or may not be on her way to becoming a serial killer?"

Sam shrugged, clearly embarrassed.

"Well, never have I ever had a crush on someone in this room," Gabe said, smirking at his younger brother.

Everyone but Gabe and Ash took a drink.

"Okay, now tell me who you had crushes on!"Gabe demanded, grinning evilly.

"Jo," Charlie said, shrugging. "And I can tell you now that Dean, Sam, and Kevin have all had crushes on her too."

Sam and Kevin blushed, while Dean shrugged.

"I had a huge crush on Dean when we were kids," Jo said, a light pink dusting over her cheeks, whether from the alcohol or the confession, Cas couldn't tell. "Then I got a crush on Benny when I started high school."

They all turned to Benny, who laughed nervously.

"I liked Charlie when she first moved here," He said, shooting the redhead a small smile.

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Charlie cooed, a grin breaking across her features. "Never have I ever played strip poker," she said, shooting an amused look at Dean.

"That's the last time I ever play poker with you," Dean grumbled, taking a drink with Benny, Ash, and Gabe.

"You're just sore 'cause my mom caught you guys and was convinced that Charlie had her own little harem going on, since none of you can play poker," Jo teased. "I swear, Mom saw more of you than she ever wanted to see."

Everyone laughed at Dean's pout, but Benny slapped him on the back, handing him another drink.

After a while, they got bored and went back to watching movies. Cas thanked whichever deity it was that had spared him from having to see more and more evidence of how awkward he was, and any more stories that involved Dean in any state of undress.

Michael returned near two in the morning, peeking into the living room where everyone was sprawled out with blankets and pillows to remind them that they would need to sleep at some point. He was ignored.

They did, however, end up drifting off at various points in the early hours of the morning. Cas was quite content with that, until he was nudged awake far sooner than he had anticipated. There was a vaguely annoying noise coming from elsewhere in the house, but Cas had long since learned to tune out whatever was going on outside his immediate vicinity. Having a brother like Gabriel did that to him.

"Cas?" Dean's voice was thick and rough from sleep, and his green eyes were blinking sleepily much closer to Cas than they had been when they had both fallen asleep. Cas hummed in answer, wondering if he should perhaps move back, even if it meant losing his comfortable spot.

"Cas, why is Gabe singing Celine Dion at six in the morning?" Dean asked, looking almost petulant in the way he was frowning. Cas blinked a little and caught the sound of Gabriel's loud, off-key rendition of 'My Heart Will Go On' from upstairs.

"He's waking up Balthazar," Cas said, as though it might explain the behaviour.

Sure enough, Balthazar's voice cut through the singing barely a few seconds later.

_"Would you shut up you little twat?"_ Balthazar snapped, loud enough that those who were awake downstairs could hear him.

_"Gabriel!"_ Michael's warning voice followed the laughing teen down the stairs.

Cas groaned and buried his head in his pillow. So much for Gabe helping him to catch Dean's attention.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: No Cas this chapter, just awkward attempts to talk about feelings. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Dean shifted in his seat again, still fidgeting with the pen in his hands. He had sighed three times in the past minute, and couldn't keep from glancing over at Bobby every few seconds.

It was starting to get distracting, and Bobby had work to do.

"Well, spit it out," he commanded, fixing Dean with a look that told him he wasn't getting out of the conversation easily.

Dean thought about denying that there was a problem and escaping to his room, but that would leave the issue unresolved for even longer. He couldn't keep ignoring it and hoping for an answer to fall in his lap.

"I need some advice," he said, finally managing to put the pen down and sit still. "There's this... person at school that I like, but they're not the kind of person I usually go for."

Bobby stared at him for a long moment. Dean picked up his soda, tapping nervously at the can.

"You idjit," Bobby said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You got your panties in a bunch over that? Ask the poor boy out! God knows he's waited long enough for it."

Dean choked on his drink. "You _knew_?"

Bobby shrugged. "Wasn't like you were being subtle about it," he said, shooting Dean a glance that conveyed in great detail just how dim he thought the teen was being. "The two of you are always makin' eyes at each other, and you talk about him all the damn time."

Dean winced a little, only just realising how obvious he had been.

"You're not mad?" He wasn't sure if he could handle it if Bobby hated him for this.

"I'm _gonna_ be mad if you don't put that boy out of his misery and ask him out," Bobby said, huffing in feigned annoyance.

Dean just grinned, hearing the unspoken approval that he hadn't dared to hope for.

"And remember, if you're gonna have sex, don't do it somewhere I'm gonna walk in on you," Bobby added, practically cackling when Dean made disgusted noises and retreated from the office, face redder than Bobby had ever seen it before.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: The boys finally get somewhere, and Gabriel's master plan is no longer needed.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Dean managed to catch Cas right before he entered the cafeteria for lunch. He grinned at the confused look on Cas' face, motioning for him to follow the older teen to an empty hallway.

"Sorry," Dean chuckled, noticing that Cas seemed a little disgruntled at having been pulled away from his lunch. "I wanted to do this without everybody watching."

Cas tilted his head to one side, even more confused than before.

"Do what?" He asked, praying that it didn't have anything to do with the 'master plan' Gabe had been working on all weekend. All of his matchmaking endeavours, much like his pranks, had a nasty habit of hurting Cas more than anyone else.

"Okay, so... I really like you," Dean started, cringing as he spoke. "Wait, that was lame. Let me start over."

Cas blinked at him, still not quite able to process the situation.

"I... uh... Will you go out with me?" Dean finally managed to stammer out, cheeks red with embarrassment. "God, I'm usually smoother than this, I promise. It's just... I start talking and then I forget everything I was gonna say, cause you look at me like _that_ and then all I can think of how great you look, and how blue your eyes are, and how your voice should probably be illegal."

Cas blinked again, shock keeping him quiet for longer than he would like.

"Did you just ask me to go out with you?" He asked, his brain finally beginning to catch up.

Dean cringed again, freckles hidden by his blush. "Yeah, kinda."

"Good," Cas said, with a decisive nod, stepping forward and placing a soft kiss on Dean's cheek. "Now I won't have to endure Gabriel's insufferable attempts at matchmaking."

They held hands as they made their way into the cafeteria for lunch, and grinned and blushed at the knowing smirks and laughter from their friends. Gabriel was the only one who seemed displeased.

"It's not fair!" He protested, pouting at the happy couple, who had forced Benny to move seats so that they could sit next to each other. "I worked hard on that plan! It was perfect. That plan was going to convince Dean that the sun shines out my brother's ass!"

Sam choked on his drink. "Gabe!" He cried, shooting the older teen a disgusted look. "Just be happy for them, for god's sake! I'm trying to eat here."

Benny and Ash laughed when Kevin agreed with the younger Winchester.

"I call dibs on being Maid of Honour at your wedding," Charlie said, grinning when Dean flung one of his fries at her in response.

Cas smiled to himself as he began to eat, content to know that he and Dean's relationship wasn't going to change anything in the group.

"I am happy for you guys though," Gabriel reassured them. "And I'm sure I don't have to warn you, Dean, that if you hurt him..."

Dean laughed."You'll kick my ass, and I'll let you," he replied, smiling down at Cas.

"Nope, I'll set Luci on you," Gabe corrected, snickering a little at the adoring looks that the two didn't bother to hide anymore. "But I'm a little offended that you think you'd have to _let_ me kick your ass."

Benny slapped him on the shoulder, laughing loudly. "You're a little _something_," he joked, snagging some of Dean's fries.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Yay, quick update! My wifi hasn't been working, so you get two chapters at once. This chapter has some of Bobby's thoughts. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: This feels redundant by now, but I don't own anything.**

Dean and Cas took every possible opportunity to hang out together. They went out on dates, even going to the Roadhouse once. After needing Ash to rescue them from his mother's knowing smirks and comments, Dean decided that they wouldn't have any more dates in restaurants owned by family friends.

Castiel sometimes came to the garage to talk to Dean while he was working. Bobby didn't mind, so long as they kept their hands to themselves during work hours.

"Is that the shop teacher in Bobby's office?" Cas asked, hopping up onto a workbench near where Dean was working on the Impala. He had just closed up and wanted to work on his Baby for a while.

"Yeah," Dean replied, giving his boyfriend a quick peck on the lips before getting back to work. "Rufus and Bobby go way back, so most Saturdays Rufus comes by with a bottle of Johnny Walker and they sit in the office and reminisce like the old bastards they are." He raised his voice at the end of his explanation, grinning at the shout of indignation from the office.

"They sit in there and complain about us bein' lazy," Benny said, pulling on his jacket. "The old coots leave all the heavy liftin' to us."

"I can still fail you boys," Rufus reminded them, standing in the doorway to the office.

"Nah, you love us too much for that," Dean said, grinning cheekily. "Besides, you're scared that if you fail me, I'll make you pay for me to keep your truck from falling apart."

Cas watched the exchange with a smile, always entertained by conversations between Dean and any member of his 'family'. The affection was clear even in the insults that they flung at each other.

In the office, Bobby and Rufus watched the teens talking. Benny poked his head in to say goodbye before heading home, and Dean and Cas were left to themselves. Dean turned on some music, and began to show Cas a few little things about taking care of a car as nice as his.

"Those two are just like Ellen and Bill were," Bobby mused, watching them fondly.

"You think?" Rufus replied, turning to his old friend. "I would have thought they were like John and Mary."

Bobby shook his head. "No. You remember how they were. Ellen and Bill were attached at the hip from the second they met. Mary had John running in circles and jumping through hoops for years before he caught her attention."

Rufus laughed lightly. He remembered telling John several times that if Mary was interested, then she'd let him know.

They turned their attention to the teens out in the shop, and had to laugh at Dean's exaggerated dancing to 'Eye of the Tiger'. Castiel was laughing as he watched adoringly, catching Dean for a short kiss when he finished.

"Ellen's probably already picked out a theme for their damn wedding," Bobby said, shaking his head.

"You think they're that serious?" Rufus sounded surprised.

"I think they'll get there," Bobby clarified. He was proud of Dean. He had seen the boy go through a lot in his life, and had hoped for a long time that Dean would find somebody that would make him happy. He spent far too much of his childhood trying to make sure everyone else was happy, and was prone to forgetting that his own feelings were important too.

"Has John called again?" Rufus asked, his attention back on Bobby.

"Yeah," Bobby said, not sounding particularly pleased. "Called a couple days ago to let me know when he's gonna be back in town."

"He talk to either of his kids?" Neither of them had been impressed with John's behaviour in recent years.

"What do you think?" Bobby replied, snorting derisively. "If there's one thing about John Winchester that hasn't changed in all the years I've known him, it's that his communication skills leave a lot to be desired."

Down in the shop, oblivious to the solemn old men, Dean and Cas were giggling over the smear of grease on Cas' cheek from Dean's hand.

"Look at you," Dean laughed. "You're starting to look like a mechanic already! Maybe I could convince Bobby to hire you on. I need some eye candy around here; I've been stuck with Bobby's old face and Benny's ugly mug."

Cas laughed, scrubbing at his cheek.

"Be nice to Benny; he's the one who covers for us when we're busy making out," he admonished.

Dean just grinned and kissed him again, smearing a little more grease on his chin.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry about the lateness, I had a hard time getting this chapter written. I'm still not entirely happy with it. The Winchesters get an unexpected guest, and Dean and Cas talk about family.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Dean grinned at the text he had received from Cas as he followed his brother inside. They had dropped Gabe and Cas off after school, and Sam and Gabe had complained for the entire ride about how 'sickeningly in love' the pair were.

His good mood vanished as soon as he stepped into the living room. Standing in the middle of the room was the last person he had expected to see.

"Dad!" Sam hugged him. He had been just as upset as Dean about John's lack of communication, but he hadn't experienced the same panic over the possibility of having to explain that he wasn't coming home.

John smiled at his younger son's enthusiastic greeting, oblivious to Dean's internal rage. Dean was furious. He knew that he was being irrational, having been angry at the thought of his father staying away and being angry about him coming back just didn't make sense.

"Hi," he finally managed to say, successfully keeping the anger out of his voice. He turned away to dump his backpack beside the couch, unable to keep the sneer off his face when he continued speaking. "How long are you here for?" It wouldn't be long. It never was.

"I've got to leave Sunday," John replied, settling into one of the old armchairs. "Only for a couple of weeks though, after that I'll be home a lot more." It was nothing Dean hadn't heard before. It was always 'next time' and 'soon'.

"Awesome," and there was no way John _hadn't_ heard the biting sarcasm there. "I've got to get dinner started."

After dinner, Dean was quick to give vague excuses about meeting up with some friends for a while, fleeing any awkward, stilted conversation.

He was knocking at the Novak's front door before he even realised what he was doing.

"Hello, Dean," Cas greeted, giving his boyfriend a small smile. "Sam texted me and said that you were upset. He assumed that you would come here," he explained.

Dean took a deep, steadying breath. It was hard to remember why he was so out of sorts when Cas was right there, willing to help him through anything.

"Can we go for a drive?" he asked, knowing that if there was anyone he could talk to about what was going on, it would be Cas.

"Let me get my coat," Cas said, pulling Dean into the front hall to wait. Dean just grinned as Cas hastily informed Michael that he was going out, throwing on the trenchcoat he always insisted on wearing as he went.

Before long, the two of them were lounging on the hood of the Impala, parked on a barely-used road a short drive out of town.

"My dad's back in town," Dean said, breaking the comfortable silence. "He didn't even say he was coming, just kinda showed up and seemed to expect us to be thrilled."

Cas turned so that he could face his boyfriend properly, giving him his full attention.

"I guess I'm just mad about how unexpected it was," Dean confessed. "It's been two months since he was last here, and then he was only here for two days. I could deal with him not coming back, it's been a long time coming, but appearing out of nowhere after saying a few weeks back that he couldn't make it? I get that it's stupid to be this angry over it, but I'm still pissed."

Cas shook his head. "It's not stupid to feel the way you do," he assured Dean, blue eyes filled with more understanding that Dean had expected. It gave him the confidence to continue.

"I hate him sometimes, 'cause he's got ditching us down to an art," he said, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "The longest he's stuck around since... since the fire, was when Bobby had his accident and couldn't work in the garage for a while. After Bobby was back on his feet, Dad just... left. I hate him for it, but I hate myself for hating him, 'cause he's my dad, and I remember him teaching me how to fix up the car, and doing dumb stuff like taking me and Sammy on a two-month-long road trip just 'cause we were all bored one Summer."

Cas reached up and swiped a thumb over Dean's cheekbone, drawing his attention to the tears now sliding down his cheeks.

"You're allowed to be angry that he keeps leaving," Cas said softly, holding Dean's gaze calmly. "You're allowed to be angry that he has missed out on large parts of your life, and you can be angry that he left you to do a lot of the work when it came to raising Sam. You can be angry at him without having to justify your reasoning to anyone, including yourself."

Dean leaned in, resting his head on Cas' shoulder, arms wrapped around his waist and fingers twisted into his trenchcoat.

"You're allowed to hate aspects of a person, even if you love that person," Cas said, wrapping his own arms around his boyfriend. "I hate that when Gabriel feels insecure or upset, his jokes and pranks get malicious instead of funny. That doesn't mean I don't love him."

Dean thought about it for a long moment before nodding, then straightened up, giving Cas a small smile.

"Right. I love him, and I love the happy memories," he said, trying to voice his exact feelings on the matter. "What I hate is the bad decisions he's made, and I hate that he's likely to keep making bad decisions." That wasn't exactly it, but it was the closest that Dean had ever come to working out his relationship with his father.

Cas nodded in satisfaction, knowing that Dean had worked out what he needed to.

"Now that we've figured that out, how about we sit out here and make out for a while?" Dean suggested with a cheeky grin. His face fell just as Cas leaned in though, a terrible thought occurring to him. "Shit, what are we gonna do until Sunday? We've been spending most of our time together, but Dad's gonna be staying for four days," he fretted.

Cas kissed him, shutting him up very effectively. "We'll be careful," he said, chuckling at Dean's half-dazed expression. "And we can always spend time at my house. My mother is dying to meet you, and my father can't wait to get back from his missions trip so he can try what he calls 'the overprotective father routine'. He said that he was worried he wouldn't be able to use it because he doesn't have any daughters."

Dean laughed at that, shaking his head a little. His boyfriend's parents sounded interesting. What sounded more interesting was carrying out his earlier suggestion.

They stayed out under the stars for another half hour before getting back into the car.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry for the lateness and shortness of this chapter. Stilted and awkward attempts at conversation in this one. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Dean had expected everyone to be asleep by the time he got home, but the kitchen light was still on. John was sitting at the table with coffee and an old book.

"Good, you're home," John said, putting down his book. "I wasn't sure how late you were going to be."

Dean shrugged, grabbing a soda from the fridge. "You didn't need to wait up," he muttered. He wasn't quite ready to talk to his father yet. At least, not about anything important.

"I know," John said with a half-shrug. "But I wanted to talk to you."

_Damn_, Dean thought. There went his plans of avoiding conversation.

Nothing was said for a very long, very awkward few minutes before John tried speaking again, which was no less awkward than the silence.

"How's school?" They both winced at that one.

"It's alright," Dean said, sitting at the rickety little table. This was probably going to take a while.

"And your friends? Sammy was telling me there's some new kids at school you're hanging out with."

"Gabe and Cas," Dean confirmed, nodding. "They're good."

John nodded. "What about Lisa? Are you two still dating?"

Dean cringed, setting down his soda can. "Lisa moved away at the start of Summer," he said, frowning. "We called it quits just before she left."

"Right, you told me that," John said, tapping his fingers on his coffee mug. "I remember that now."

Dean honestly had no idea whether or not he had ever told John about breaking up with Lisa, and he highly doubted John actually remembered it if he had, but he didn't feel like causing a fight.

"So... have you been seeing anyone else?" John asked, and Dean suddenly found himself losing all patience for small talk.

"Are we really gonna do this?" He huffed, scowling a little.

John looked startled for second before shaking his head, the slightest hint of sadness visible in his eyes. It struck Dean in that moment that John looked _old_. Old and tired.

"I guess it is kinda ridiculous," John admitted. "I _do_ want to talk, but..."

"It's not easy," Dean finished for him.

"I quit drinking," John declared abruptly, cutting straight to what he wanted to talk about. "I know I've got a lot to answer for, especially with you and Sam, but I figure apologies at this point mean nothing unless I change how I act too."

Dean wasn't sure how to respond to that, and he still wasn't convinced that this was going to last. He was, however, impressed that John had managed to last so long with a conversation about what he had on several occasions referred to as 'girly shit'.

"I want to be here more often," John continued, clearing his throat with a short cough. "I know you boys don't really need me anymore, and that's mostly my fault, but I want to be here anyway."

Dean nodded, unsure of what to say.

"You should probably get some sleep," John suggested. "You've got school in the morning.

"Yeah," Dean agreed, standing. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," John replied, draining the last of his coffee. "And Dean, I'm proud of you boys."

Dean gave his father a half-smile, still left a little off-balance from the conversation.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry it's so late. Here's chapter 11 for you. Enjoy.**

The whole gang had gathered at the Roadhouse that Saturday, tired after a week of classes and unexpected surprises.

"All I'm saying is that it is entirely possible for supernatural creatures to exist," Gabriel insisted over what his brother was sure amounted to a bowl of pure sugar.

"If they were real, wouldn't we have at least heard of people encountering them?" Sam argued, ever the voice of logic.

"Well, obviously, they would hide their true natures," Charlie said, snagging some of Jo's ice-cream, having already managed to finish her own. "All the lore includes ways to kill the monsters, so clearly they wouldn't want people to know what they are."

"True, and who's to say you _haven't_ encountered any of those things?" Gabriel said, grinning now that he had some backup in his argument. "Have you ever met someone or seen someone and there was something about them that didn't seem... human?"

"Azazel," Dean said, finally adding to the strange conversation.

"Alistair," Benny added with a nod, as though entirely willing to accept that the man was not human.

"That Lilith kid that lives down the road," Jo said, looking thoroughly disturbed. The little blonde girl did often seem strange though, Cas had to agree.

"Exactly!" Gabe exclaimed. "Maybe they're something other than human. For all you guys know, I'm not even human. How would anyone know?"

"That would explain how you can eat so much candy without your teeth rotting," Charlie agreed, ignoring Sam's eye-roll.

"Your logic, while interesting, is incredibly flawed," Cas pointed out. "But if you are not human, then please tell me what exactly I have been living with."

Gabe grinned again. "Well, the obvious one to go for would be that I am, in fact, the archangel Gabriel, but I'm not very angelic, so none of you would believe that for a second."

"No kidding," Benny snorted, earning himself a rude hand gesture from Gabe.

"I am clearly a Trickster," Gabe said, sitting up a little straighter as he made his declaration, as though that might add some credibility to his statement. "You can all call me Loki now."

"I think you have something wrong with you," Kevin said, shaking his head at the older teen.

They all laughed at that, only Dean to fall silent as someone walked into the Roadhouse.

"Dammit!" he hissed, ducking his head. "It's like he's everywhere right now."

Cas looked up to see John Winchester greeting Ellen with a wave.

"It's only because he's been gone for a while that it seems like you can't avoid him now," he whispered.

Dean's luck seemed even worse as John caught sight of his sons.

"So this is studying, huh?" he chuckled as he approached the table.

"We got bored," Dean said, taking another bite of his pie. John just laughed and turned to the Harevelles.

"Ash, Joanna, it's good to see you," he said, smiling.

"It's _Jo_." The cool tone and half-scowl didn't seem to bother John.

"And these must be the Novaks?" John continued, turning to Gabe and Cas.

Dean clutched Castiel's hand tightly under the table, silently praying that John would leave.

"That's us!" Gabe replied happily, his usual charming self in spite of the fact that this man was the reason for Dean and Cas keeping their relationship a secret.

"Well, it was nice meeting you," said John, giving the group a wave as he turned away to speak with Ellen at the bar.

"You know, if it's stressing you out this much to keep this a secret, maybe you should just tell him?" Kevin suggested, watching Dean's tense features over the course of the interaction.

"Hell no," Dean said, shaking his head. "He'd freak out." Cas squeezed his hand under the table.

"Yeah, John's never really been the 'progressive' type," Jo added.

"Still, you might feel a little better with it out there," Gabe said, frowning at the thought of his brother having to hide his relationship.

"Dean does not feel comfortable with his father knowing, so he doesn't have to tell him," Cas insisted with a scowl at his older brother. "If it is going to cause a problem, then I would much rather that his father didn't know."

There was silence for a while after that, the entire group picking at their food for a few minutes before they felt comfortable starting a new conversation.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so late (and also pretty short). I will try to make it up to you with an awesome chapter 13.**

"Can... can you say that again?" Dean asked, blinking as he looked up from his car. Cas gave him an affectionate eye-roll and a peck on the cheek.

"I said that my mother would like you to come over for dinner tomorrow night," he said, leaning against the side of the Impala. "My father is home, and my mother would like to meet my boyfriend before any of our cousins have a chance to start showing up and demanding our attention for however long they stay."

He was perfectly calm, so there was no real reason for Dean to be panicking, but he had yet to meet either of his boyfriend's parents, since both were always busy when he was at Castiel's house.

"Uh... okay," said Dean, still not sold on the idea, but knowing he could never refuse Cas, even if he was convinced that they would hate him. "And... you're sure they're totally cool with... us?"

Cas gave him the look he seemed to reserve for when Gabe was acting particularly dim. Dean wasn't sure that he ever wanted to be on the receiving end of that look again.

"Dean, they are perfectly comfortable with the two of us being together," Cas assured him, taking his hand. "They just want to meet you because you are important to me. I assure you, everything will be fine. Balthazar may even behave, if the planets are aligned."

Dean laughed loudly. He loved Cas' sense of humour. In fact, he loved pretty much everything about Cas. An overwhelming sense of adoration crashed into him, and he pulled Cas into a deep kiss, unsure of how else to convey the feeling to him.

It wasn't until after Cas had gone home that the panic returned.

"Oh God," Dean groaned, face pale as he dropped onto the couch. "I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm gonna say the wrong thing and screw this up, and Cas' parents will realise that I'm not good enough for him, and they'll hate me!"

"You're overreacting," Sam said, barely even glancing up from his homework. "His brothers all seem to like you, and it's not like you've ever really cared whether or not somebody's parents like you. Lisa's parents couldn't stand you, and yet the two of you lasted for nearly a year before she moved away."

Dean groaned again, but nodded. He would be fine; he just needed to stop freaking out.


End file.
